Cry for Mississippi

My home Mississippi seems to be in the news constantly for all the wrong reasons - hanging on to its oppressive past, fostering blatant racism, poor education and terrible health. Now, in the name of "religious freedom" our government "leaders" have given the go-ahead to the people of the Hospitality State to be anything but hospitable to those who fail to live their lives by whatever prejudices their fellow man might have.

I stay in Mississippi because my family is here and has been here longer than Mississippi has even been a state. I want to make it a better place, but some times it seems like everyone around is actively working against anything that can be construed as progress - social, educationally, economically or by any other measurement imaginable.

It's frustrating.

This is me venting some of that frustration. It's a quickie. Done in one morning, from concept to final recording. Not a lot of tinkering with this one. Just straight forward guitar, drums, bass and vocals - rough and ragged.

Deep down South in the land of cotton em/G
Where old times can never be forgotten Am/Em
We wave our flags to show our hate Em/G
And freedom to discriminate Am/G
We need to turn back Am
Before it’s too late Em

Cry for Mississippi C
Our fear has brought us down em
Cry for Mississippi C
Help lift us G
Off the ground D/Em

The folks in Jackson must have gone insane
Making laws that hurt us all again
We love our Bibles. We love our guns
We trash the future for our sons
We need to turn back
Or come undone

Cry for Mississippi C
Our fear has brought us down em
Cry for Mississippi C
Help lift us G
Off the ground D/Em

We tell our children our poison lies
We teach them all to despise
Don’t trust the black man, the gay man too
The government will come for you
We need to turn back
Yes it’s true

Cry for Mississippi C
Our fear has brought us down em
Cry for Mississippi C
Help lift us G
Off the ground D/Em

Anger and frustration
It's much easier to reinforce prejudices than overcome them by enlightenment - and most folks want to take the easy way out. Yet it's critical thinkers like you that make a difference, even if the difference is frustratingly small.

Don't look away, Dixieland.

That frustration and anger comes through powerfully in this muscular effort. Sometimes that's the best approach: just knock it out! And what better vehicle to express your indignation than a rock song?

Cry for Mississippi
Quality lyrics for a "quickie". Sad state of affairs. People under pressure often turn in on themselves in preference to opening their hearts and getting help. Religion uses this to their insidious advantage. The deserved angst your have comes through strongly and the sparse arrangement works well. Good luck with it all. Thanks.

Endurance & Survival
I would make some intelligent comments here but I have shut myself off from most news, especially politics, for my personal survival. I can barely control myself let alone other folks. I just try to find some good in most folks, myself included, and if I can't then I just try to stay away from them. As you might expect I have very little contact with the outside world.

I do like the lyrics here, especially the chorus. Music is what can keep us sane and put some spark in our life. Rediscovering that as I try and spend more time on it once again. Hang in there Joseph. I grew up in the South also but the rest of the world ain't that much better.

Protest...
...A much-needed lyric to frame the prejudice. It doesn't exist just in Mississippi. It's everywhere in some form or other. Putting the thoughts to words is the only way to bring it into the open, discuss the issues, and, hopefully, find ways to forge peace and acceptance rather than hate. Thanks for feeling so strongly about all of this and giving your voice and music to a noble cause.

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